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The Weekend Sun
Scaling heights of success You can try tennis after school Wiz Fineron won’t be doing all the usual things teenagers do during the summer holidays at Mount Maunganui – he’ll be too busy hanging around in southern Texas.
Wiz Fineron tackling ‘Punks in the Gym’ in Victoria, Australia. Photo by Mick Wells.
Wiz is fast making a name for himself internationally in the sport of climbing, rapidly ascending the heady heights towards stardom, and has only just returned from five weeks across the ditch where he became the youngest climber to complete the ascent of a tough and technically demanding climb in Victoria called `Punks in the Gym’. Wiz hasn’t let the chalk dust settle in his pouch, leaving this week for a Christmas break like no other, joining hordes of other outdoor climbing enthusiasts State-side for three months of high hanging hijinks at Hueco Tanks, an area of low granite mountains in El Paso county. Still on a high after conquerFive weeks at Mount ing ‘Punks in the Gym’, Arapalies in Victoria was a Wiz, who has just finished turning point for him as Year 12 at Tauranga Boys’ he became the youngest College, is buzzing about to conquer ‘Punks’, which spending three months in was, for many years, known some of the best climbing as the hardest climb in country in the US. With Kelly Exelby of Australia. “It’s pretty cool climbEves Realty Ltd Climbs are graded up to 37 ing from what I hear and I’m and ‘Punks in the Gym’ was Wiz’s going with another friend from pinnacle in the sport to date. New Zealand so it’s gonna be an “Mount Arapalies is one of the awesome adventure. We’ll climb best climbing spots in Australia, mostly in Hueco and go out every but the conditions were tough day if we want to.’’ - mainly the heat. Sometimes it Wiz, whose first name is Owain although he hasn’t been called that just got too hot during the day so we’d get up and climb early in the since he learned to read and write morning until the heat became a dozen years ago, emigrated with unbearable, and then climb at his dad Allen and brother Dez from Wales just over five years ago. night until dark. “Most days we’d try and climb all Moving to a city with a climbing day though, on and off, hiding out facility already set up was crucial in the shade when the heat got too and the brothers sought out The much.’’ Rock House at the Mount just Some of the climbs are 200m days after they touched down. high but the rock faces Wiz was Wiz has worn the silver fern confronting were shorter – hard, at two junior world climbing extremely technical and requiring championships already in Scothuge concentration to go with the land and France, although it’s mental and physical agility. the freedom of the outdoors and Spills are common, although less thrill of conquering new heights so than when he started out, but that excites him most about his safety is paramount and the aim is high adrenalin sport.
Rising
SPORTS Stars
Papamoa Primary School is offering tennis lessons to students in an attempt to encourage them to try new sports. A total of 62 children aged 6-11 registered to be a part of the tennis lessons offered on three Wednesday afternoons in the last term of school. Papamoa Primary School’s health and physical education teacher Hamish Avery says the school sees the importance of children being active and trying new sports. “This is a great chance to showcase kids
to take the extreme out of extreme sport as much as possible. “You try not to think about accidents and, touch wood, there hasn’t really been anything nasty. I’ve had a bunch of big falls but nothing you’d really deem dangerous. When you fall you fall to your next piece of gear so it’s not like it’s 100m or anything. I’ve take some good whacks but nothing major.’’ While the average Kiwi would struggle to comprehend the thrill of hanging upside down 50m above terra firma with only a few fingers wedged in inch-wide cracks carved into the rock face, Wiz, who is sponsored by international gear/apparel suppliers Petzl, 5 10 and Motiv, says his rush was in setting a goal, training for it, then knocking it off. “There’s always new challenges, not necessarily in higher walls but in higher graded climbs. Now, having done 32 and 33, climbing a 35 is my immediate goal but kind of daunting as well. There’s guys doing 37’s but they’re the legends of the sport.’’ Kelly Exelby is a residential marketing specialist with Eves Realty Ltd. Phone 07 571 7751, mobile 0275 501 851, email kelly.exelby@eves.co.nz
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being kids, and schools working hard both inside and outside of the classroom to create balanced and healthy citizens for the future.” Children will learn tennis techniques from Papamoa Tennis Clubs qualified coach Peter Blow. Lessons will take place on November 28, December 5 and 12 from 2.45-4pm. For more information, or to take part in the lessons, phone Hamish Avery, 07 542 0865, 021 426 473 or email HamishAvery@papamoa.school.nz